I agree that murky business dealing was not a cause of dismissal of Anatoly Serdyukov. Serdyukov was not a military man, he could not complete the military reform in Russia. The authoritarian method of leadership led to a decline in the government’s control of military. Also, there was insulation of the head of the department from military people.
I think that the new minister must examine the situation and understand how military reform was carried out. I believe that Sergei Shoigu has a gut experience of mobilization, organization of people and a build-up of management structures.
So, the success of the military reform depends on selection of competent people.

The U.S. Department of State said it was ready to intensify its efforts to find a mutually acceptable European missile shield solution hours after Russia threatened military countermeasures.

...

Nikolai Makarov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian military, said on Thursday Russia needs binding legal guarantees that the missile shield will not harm the strategic nuclear parity it has with the United States, and reserves the right to retaliate if its concerns are not addressed.

He added that Russia does not even rule out delivering preemptive strikes against missile defense objects in Poland and Romania and shooting down U.S. satellites utilized as part of the shield.

What will happen if Russia strikes Poland or Romania??
Not good news for Russia or anybody. You and your pal Putin really need a new focus in life.
Europe and the US wants to move on from the cold war. Is threatening to blow up the world the only thing Russia can do to try and stay relevant? That is seriously sad.

Better ask yourself: what will happen if you get sodomized on the central avenue of Bucharest in broad daylight by a gang of drunk Gypsies? My advice to you is: creating contingencies for yourself before your walk in Bucharest is a lot more important issue that Romania building a wall against a completely unthinkable offense from ANYBODY:) Who the heck is gonna strike Poland or Romania, for Chrissake?

Au, zzat you-o-ou, my sweet little darling Pauly Girl? You HAVE been visiting those bad-smelling Gypsies in Bukarest? Did they grease you up well before making you.... h-m-m-m-m-m... the most abiding gal of the NATO alliance? Did those big smelly candies smell well in your mouth? Tell us, we are eager to know.... m-m-m-m-m..... Open it up gal, more members to come.

This article is a little bit superficial.The best one on the subject was published in The Moscow Times by Alexander Golts , deputy editor of the online newspaper Yezhednevny Zhurnal. (*)

I resume it in few lines:

"Serdyukov's dismissal shows that the government's degradation has reached a new level. Only a short time ago it seemed as if Serdyukov, a Putin loyalist, had nothing in common with the likes of opposition figures Alexei Navalny, Ksenia Sobchak and Leonid Razvozzhayev. Now they are all in the same boat together." (...)

"Without a doubt, the Serdyukov affair was orchestrated at the very top of the ruling elite. It began with corruption charges against individuals with close ties to Serdyukov. The current investigation also includes insinuations about Serdyukov's private life, a standard tactic for the country's law enforcement and FSB agencies." (...)

"There can be no doubt that only a top official could have given approval for such an attack against Serdyukov. It was unlikely to have come from the president, who has always supported Serdyukov, particularly since Serdyukov made it known after Putin's re-election that he was ready to step down at any time. Nonetheless, in the end Putin was forced to dismiss Serdyukov." (...)

It seems that the bureaucratic clans acted without Putin's permission.

"One explanation could be that Serdyukov locked horns with Dmitry Rogozin, who is eager to increase his control of military resources in his capacity as deputy prime minister in charge of the defense industry." (...)

In any case, it seems that law enforcement agencies have once again become weapons of ­inter-clan fighting.

"Once law enforcement agencies were given carte blanche to crack down on the opposition, they naturally used the same methods when told to go after members of rival clans." (...)

"It shows how weak Putin is -because they were the only example over the past 10 years when a ministry was able to successfully initiate serious reforms." (...)

The widely respected Serdyukov could never have dreamed in his worst nightmares that he would be subjected to the same humiliating measures as Navalny and Sobchak."" (...)

Yet one more proof that super leader Putin do not suffer embezzlement and no level of power is safe from being punished for crime, unlike what is going on in the ROTTEN broke and sinking west where all the high ranking officials are bought and sold by their corporative owners, heh, heh, heh :D

This super-silly faceless KP (Kommunist Party) XOXOL XOXOLOVICH must come from a rare breed in Putin's Russia. There are dozens of impersonators on the streets of Moscow while the XOXOL monkey is trying to make his living by doing what monkeys do, - pretending they are smart. XOXOL XOXOLOVICH cannot get a shot at matching the skills of real Moscovian pretenders who, as reported by Moscow's media, impersonate anyone from Putin to Lenin or the Tsar himself.

Putin's impersonator charges 1,000 rubles and up for a photo, but is willing to offer a 50-percent discount to a young attactive female. A Lenin impersonator charges about 300 rubles and Nicholas II asks a modest 100 rubles for a picture.
Looks like, given the competition in Moscow, this XOXOL monkey would be happy to have his (its) picture taken for just ONE ruble.

"Serdyukov affair was orchestrated at the very top of the ruling elite..."

How true. That's the way it has always been done in the Soviet system. The one Putin has inherited from his KGB predecessors. Lets recall how Stalin orchestrated removal of his former associates. Or how one NKVD-KGB chief was replaced by another. Or how Marshals were removed and replaced by generals. People change, the system does not.

This article is a little bit superficial.The best one on the subject was published in The Moscow Times by Alexander Golts , deputy editor of the online newspaper Yezhednevny Zhurnal. (*)

I resume it in few lines:

Serdyukov's dismissal shows that the government's degradation has reached a new level. Only a short time ago it seemed as if Serdyukov, a Putin loyalist, had nothing in common with the likes of opposition figures Alexei Navalny, Ksenia Sobchak and Leonid Razvozzhayev. Now they are all in the same boat together.

Without a doubt, the Serdyukov affair was orchestrated at the very top of the ruling elite. It began with corruption charges against individuals with close ties to Serdyukov. The current investigation also includes insinuations about Serdyukov's private life, a standard tactic for the country's law enforcement and FSB agencies.

There can be no doubt that only a top official could have given approval for such an attack against Serdyukov. It was unlikely to have come from the president, who has always supported Serdyukov, particularly since Serdyukov made it known after Putin's re-election that he was ready to step down at any time. Nonetheless, in the end Putin was forced to dismiss Serdyukov.

It seems that the bureaucratic clans acted without Putin's permission.

one explanation could be that Serdyukov locked horns with Dmitry Rogozin, who is eager to increase his control of military resources in his capacity as deputy prime minister in charge of the defense industry.

In any case, it seems that law enforcement agencies have once again become weapons of ­inter-clan fighting.

Once law enforcement agencies were given carte blanche to crack down on the opposition, they naturally used the same methods when told to go after members of rival clans.

It shows how weak Putin is -because they were the only example over the past 10 years when a ministry was able to successfully initiate serious reforms.

The widely respected Serdyukov could never have dreamed in his worst nightmares that he would be subjected to the same humiliating measures as Navalny and Sobchak.

Super leader Putin sacked not only thief Serdukov, but also other high ranking thieves, proving that unlike the corrupt west, Russia punishes high ranking criminals. Bet thief Serdukov had been involved in the GLONASS graft :

The crackdown on Glonass was backed on Sunday by head of the Kremlin administration, Sergei Ivanov, an ex-Defense Minister and alleged Rogozin ally who said that the investigation into the Glonass fraud was ongoing since 2010.

Not only that Russia had a good time keeping the NATzO terrorists to bleed white fighting the taliban terrorists ( a good outcome for the civilized humanity), but now is going laugh all the way to the bank as the NATzO morons are going to pay heavily to Russia for transporting their military crapola out of Afghanistan. Not before Russia humiliates NATzO in the UN though, heh, heh, heh :D

Moscow supported the U.S.-led invasion after the September 11, 2001 al Qaeda attacks and has allowed transit of supplies for NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), including through a new hub in the city of Ulyanovsk.

But Zamir Kabulov, Putin's special envoy for Afghanistan, told Reuters that Russia wanted "full clarity" on the combat capabilities of the post-2014 mission and reiterated a threat to withdraw cooperation unless the alliance receives approval from the U.N. Security Council, where Moscow holds veto power.

"At the end of the day NATO is a military bloc. If a military-political group appears in the neighborhood of Russian territory, without our consent and with tasks unknown to us, this is problematic. A mandate is indispensable," Kabulov said.

"Our current cooperation with NATO is based on the current NATO mandate from the U.N. Security Council. And we will only cooperate with such missions as have a mandate for which we have also voted," he told Reuters in an interview.

Poor Russian Chauvinist kpxoxol, you are so ignorant. You don't even know why the US leaders - who have had the choice to use the atomic bombs against URSS between 1945 and 1949 - didn't use them and why the follow the policy defined by George F Kennan in his "Long Telegram" in 1947. This policy has succeeded to destroy URSS without to have major war, to use one nuclear bomb!
The good thing of your ignorance is that your corrupted and criminal FSB government doesn't seem to have any policy to defend this present Russian Federation against a similar Kennan's policy applies now by the Chinese Leaders - first by Mao - against this outdated Russian Chauvinism which is the best instrument to destroy Russia.
No need to use nuclear bombs - in any case they are useless simply because the leaders who will dare to use will destroyed not only themselves but the great part of their country - then in consequence will have no support from their citizens.
The way to destroy this Russian Federation, this criminal FSB political system is much more easy: let people like you express their view, let the Chinese and the Europeans see how stupid you are and this Russian Chauvinism will become the destructive poison of this no-future state - this presented "Russian" Federation.

Poor Russian Chauvinist kpxoxol, you are so ignorant. You don't even know why the US leaders - who have had the choice to use the atomic bombs against URSS between 1945 and 1949 - didn't use them and why the follow the policy defined by George F Kennan in his "Long Telegram" in 1947

Talken like a true ignorant retard, heh, heh, heh :D

The British archives point to the fact the the US were pressing their allies to join nuclear attack against the USSR but get cold feet, because the USSR military might was far more potent than all the allies sissy comando combined, and the USSR had significant military contingent in Europe, quite capable to stomp the anglo-texan cowards into the mud, much what happen to the nazi Germany. The chances for the US bombers to reach Moscow were non existent, considering the war proven USSR anti-aircraft defenses.

"Nuclear War Planning

The next JIC estimate of the Soviet Union, JIC 329, written only two months after the official cessation of hostilities against Japan, focused on Soviet vulnerability to a limited attack with atomic weapons.30 But first, JIC 329 concerned itself with Soviet military potential and the context for a limited American attack against the USSR. Although acknowledging the relative invulnerability of the continental United States to a Soviet conventional attack in the near future, JIC 329 warned, "...[in] the event of hostilities in Europe or on the mainland of Asia (Korea), the Soviets would enjoy a great preponderance in numbers of men against the United States or even against the United States, Great Britain, and France." The latter combination of nations represented the maximum coalition likely to oppose the Soviets with significant military forces."

Jesus Christ Almighty, whenever somebody tries to make fun of the West on clearly contradictory issues and spill a drop of support or even give a shadow of the benefit of the doubt to Russia, there are legions of "didomycks" and other totally brainswashed goblins immediately sticking their heads out of the toilet to hunt down the mythical "KGB". Wake up, damn it, and clean your own outhouse.

"The idea, says Dmitry Gorenburg of Harvard University, was to “revitalise the military by getting out of the business of competing with major powers.”"

Sure it did, and thats why Russia developed and produces new generation of QUASI-BALLISTIC MIRved delivery systems capable to perform avoidance maneuver at hypersonic speed, armed with supersonic ram-jet warhead which penetrates the anti-missile defense by wobbling randomly on reentry. And also the new Russia military doctrine allows usage of nuclear weapons at any stage of confrontation (not just as retaliation for nuclear attack).

No wonder the US tries to creep closer to the Russia borders in order to attempt "boost stage" attack on the Russia nuclear deterrence, because they have no chance to intercept the new Russia nuclear system already in flight.
But that is why Russia also possesses ISCANDER-M specifically designed to obliterate enemy command and control centers protected by anti-missile defenses. The current ISCANDER-M distance is limited to 500 KM by the tactical missile treaty Russia should abrogate the way the US did abrogate the ABM treaty. When the ISCANDER reach is increased to 2500 KM there wont be a spot on the NATzO countries map safe from the ISCANDER type weaponry.

The American ballistic missile defense system, credible though increasingly costly, is going to become operational within years. New Russian missiles could penetrate it now - if it were in place.

On January 19, Lieutenant General Henry A. Obering III, Missile Defense Agency Director, touted a successful static test firing of the second stage rocket motor for the future Kinetic Energy Interceptor, the antimissile to be commissioned in the early 2010s and a key element in a ballistic missile shield.

Late last year, the Boeing-led Airborne Laser team delivered on Boeing's commitment to strengthen the 10-crew Alaska-based interceptor group by announcing the successful completion of a series of tests involving a high energy laser at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

A credible capability indeed, but, as Russian President Vladimir Putin told the marathon Kremlin news conference last month, Russia has missiles that don't care. When asked about the new Russian weapon, he said: "These are very strong systems, and they - how shall I put it mildly - are not exactly a response to a ballistic missile defense system. With such missiles, it does not matter whether you face a missile shield or not; they travel at hypersonic speeds and change heading and altitude, while missile defense systems are designed to counter ballistic-trajectory weapons."

...

Back in July 2001, observers animatedly discussed a Topol test launch, in which the warhead demonstrated a clearly non-ballistic performance. Someone suggested the warhead had special engines capable of generating enough thrust for a maneuver at high altitudes and at very high speeds.

However, the topic was highlighted again only three years later during the Security 2004 exercise. An RS-18 (SS-19 Stiletto) carried a new experimental re-entry vehicle that in effect "bounced" between the upper atmosphere and outer space. This maneuver is incredible as a normal re-entry velocity for a warhead is around 5,000mps. The test vehicle, however, defied skeptics and successfully survived all the maneuvers thanks to its effective heat and g-load protection systems.

Such maneuverability renders a missile system a crucial surprise advantage, as the adversary cannot launch a fire-and-forget interceptor weapon because no anticipated point of contact is known or can be reliably calculated. Normally, the Topol-M carries one warhead but, unlike other strategic ICBMs, it can be easily upgraded with an advanced warhead carrying up to three independently targetable re-entry vehicles. The warhead fires off the vehicles in midcourse, changing direction twice a minute to fool warning radars as to where the charges are heading. Each vehicle is assigned an individual target at up to 100km (60 miles) from the separation point.

As Russian Chief of Staff Colonel General Yuri Baluevsky put it, "The vehicle can successfully avoid monitors and penetrate all missile defense systems, including the ones still under development."

"In a huge improvement over conventional ballistic warheads, this re-entry vehicle can either follow a preset flight maneuvering program or be re-targeted when it is already over enemy territory," he said. This means that the re-entry vehicle will effectively penetrate anything the U.S. military is trying to build now.

Here is something to make the russophobes even angrier, heh, heh, heh :D

The Russian Iskander-M cruises at hypersonic speed of 2100–2600 m/s (Mach 6–7) at a height of 50 km. The Iskander-M weighs 4615 kg, carries a warhead of 710–800 kg, has a range of 400–480 km, and achieves a CEP (Circular error probable) of 5–7 meters. During flight it can maneuver at different altitudes and trajectories and can pull up to 20 to 30 G to evade anti-ballistic missiles. For example, in one of the trajectory modes it can dive at the target at 90 degrees at the rate of 700–800 m/s performing anti-ABM maneuvers.[3][5]

Iskander has achieved accuracy, range and reliability (ability to penetrate defences) that constitutes an alternative approach to precision bombing for air forces that cannot expect to launch bombing or cruise missile fire missions reliably in the face of superior enemy fighters and air defenses. Training and competence requirements are much lower than for normal air force assets like a fighter bomber squadron utilizing guided bombs.

Iskander is a tactical missile system designed to be used in theater level conflicts.[6] It is intended to use conventional warheads for the engagement of small and area targets (both moving and stationary), such as hostile fire weapons, air and antimissile defense weapons, command posts and communications nodes and troops in concentration areas, among others. The system can therefore destroy both active military units and targets to degrade the enemy's capability to wage war. It offers a high probability of fire mission accomplishment in hostile active countermeasures environments, a high probability of failure-proof functioning of the missile during its launch preparation and in flight, automatic computation and input of missile flight missions by the launcher devices, high tactical maneuverability and strategic mobility owing to transportability of the system vehicles by all types of transport and long service life and ease of operation.

The low level of intelligence and culture of this Russian Chauvinist, slave, lover of dictatorship is a good sign: no need to have nuclear weapons to destroy this Russian Federation, these Russian slaves

Walterbenjamin, why doncha print out all outstanding financial obligations of the United States, all 16 trillion dollars worth of them, roll them up in one big paperball and shove it up your own arse? Just stay where you are and don't try to be the biggest asshole on the planet. Stupid dork, your Mom's sorry for you.

TE opines : "The 2008 war with Georgia also offered lessons. Although Russia won, victory was messier and harder than it should have been. ..."

LOL. Several thousand Russians HUMILIATED the 30,000 strong Georgia military armed and trained by the US and their NATzO allies in just 3 DAYS of active military confrontation and TE call this "messy".

For comparison the NATzO sissies were unable to dislodge the YU army from Kososvo for a month of ineffectual bombing an cowardice to put boots on ground, so much so at the end they had to pay Yeltsin $4BN to convince Miloshevic to give up.

The US "super duper" military got completely humiliated by the Iraq insurgency, and run out of there after committing numerous war crimes and causing murder over 40 journalists.

Now days NATzO got their behinds flagged daily by the "defeated" talibs in Afghanistan, and the whole nifty gritty alliance is preoccupied with solving the big problem of how to bugger out and leaving their military equipment in the ditches because they have no way to transport them OUT of Afghanistan and save face in the process.

XOXOL, you have superior talents in repeating by now worn and stale Moscow propaganda lines ! Did you get the latest edition of their 'Propaganda Manual for Ignorants' ? Why don't you admit who is your paymaster at the Russian KPB (Kremlin Propaganda Bureau) ?

amusing. The Russian-georgia clash does show how pathetic the Russian military currently is. It should be looked at as the US looked at Grenada and Panama, where there was a lot of internal issues that affected efficiency.

Versus an opponent of similar weaponry and scale (not just troop numbers btw) it comes down to internal efficiencies and command. all of which the russians are currently lacking.

considering the Georgian military had units flown back in from Iraq after the fighting already started and that Russia had air superiority, did not have training for counter-insurgency (which NATO was giving georgia) but conventional training it is no surprise the Russians won this conventional fight.

Comparing NATO's activity in Yugoslavia to the russian-georgia conflict is a poor comparison. the YU conflict had more political factors that affected the conflict. To not realize this shows your ignorance.

Regarding the Iraq insurgency, again insurgency and conventional fighting are different and require different methods. the US military was able to adapt in 3-4 years to the new situation in Iraq allowing it to leave with victory, but politic side again failed. So again you confuse political issues with troop/military effectiveness.

However, have the russians really learned anything from the georgia conflict? It would seem they did, but the removal of the minister who is trying to implement those changes is a bad omen for the Russian military.

As for Afghanistan. I think the Russian/Soviet experience there should serve as a wonderful example as to why one should not mention afghanistan when comparing Russian and Western militaries, because there is a political side to the fight and the russian tactics never truly changed, where as NATO/US troops are adapting and changing their methods.

"considering the Georgian military had units flown back in from Iraq after the fighting already started and that Russia had air superiority, did not have training for counter-insurgency (which NATO was giving georgia) but conventional training it is no surprise the Russians won this conventional fight."

Georgia had 30 THOUSAND strong standing army, armed and trained by the US sissies. This is why THREE TIMES smaller Russia military contingent HUMILIATED the Georgian gang of genocidal maniacs in record three days of fighting. Besides the Chechen VOSTOK battalion who did rooted the Georgia sissies and their US trainers is good example of unit trained and experienced to deal with insurgency. You logic is non existent at best. LOL :D

"Comparing NATO's activity in Yugoslavia to the russian-georgia conflict is a poor comparison. the YU conflict had more political factors that affected the conflict. To not realize this shows your ignorance."

The NATzO impotence in Yugoslavia unlike what Russia demonstrated in 2008 Georgia is just an example of completely identical reason for the Russia involvement in S Ossetia as an UN appointed party to suppress genocide initiated by the US-supported genocidal maniacs in Tbilisi.

"As for Afghanistan. I think the Russian/Soviet experience there should serve as a wonderful example as to why one should not mention afghanistan when comparing Russian and Western militaries"

The real NATzO humiliation is ongoing in Afghanistan as we speak, as the "defeated" talibs control over 75% of the territory, while Kara no Kyoukai insinuates the NATzO losers "are adapting and changing their methods so they lose very spectacularly.

Regarding "comparing the miltaries, the USSR experience in Afghanistan is at par with the US experirnce in Vietnam - both conflicts were proxy wars. The current NATzO involvment in Afghanistan is far more humiliating for the sissi allience because the inept NATzO weekend warriors got their arses handed to them by bunch of goat gurders armed with soviet era weaponry without any external help.

Didomyk opines: "There is always an option for Russia of implementing old proven measures that will lead to the re-animation of the Gulag empire, ... " rant and rave

LOL, this accusation coming from country with the largest prison population in the World - the USA :D

Not only the US got 2.5 MILLION convicts, while the COMMUNIST China with 4 times larger population than the US are distant second with 1.6 million,
but the US leads in number of prisoners per capita and the US incarceration rate is SIX TIMES the World average.

The West should be delighted by the sacking of a vaguely-competent bureaucrat in favor of an incompetent one. Russia will sink lower into the mire, its military will become even less effective, and the net result will be a continuing decline in Russia's ability to cause mischief beyond its borders. If this trend continues we can look forward to Russia beligerently threatening its neighbors in 2030 with a military force comprising 90% flabby officers armed with rusty pitch-forks and 10% emaciated conscripts carrying rocks and, possibly, dead dogs (if they haven't already been cooked and eaten...).

CA-Oxonian the West along with you should be delighted that according to the Washington Free Beacon a Russian nuclear-powered attack submarine armed with long-range cruise missiles operated undetected in the Gulf of Mexico for several weeks and its travel in strategic U.S. waters was only confirmed after it left the region. How about sacking your vaguely-competent Navy bureaucrats in favor of incompetent ones. Shame on American intelligence! Watch out there are several more roaming the Gulf.

The Economist writes, “Yet murky business dealings are rarely a cause for dismissal in Mr Putin’s Russia.” I would like to give a hint to TE. One has to know certain limit to murky business in Russia, not to over swindle and always share in good Christian tradition. Thieves of all ranks must know the thieves' law limit in stealing. Never overdo it. Otherwise, a thief will face grave consequences.

Following the firing of Russia's defense minister, Anatoly Serdyukov, who was replaced with Sergei Shoigu, Putin's trusted ally, the chief of the General Staff, gen. Nikolai Makarov, has been replaced with gen. Valery Gerasimov, while several other top generals lost their jobs and influence.

Criminal fraud investigations into property sell-off at the 'Oboronservis' are said to have caused the state about $95 million in damages. That's the present official version. What remains a closely guarded state secret is how many Russian top generals and admirals are now multi-millionnaires ? By any standards a military career in today's Russia offers rewards unheard off back in the Soviet times when a couple of extra medals was all one could hope to get on retirement.